Planning Infrastructure and Environment Division
Department for Communities and Local Government
1/J6, Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
Friday 18 October 2013
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: Consultation to allow agricultural buildings into housing
On behalf of CPRE Sussex I wish to make representations in respect of the proposal to allow the re-use of redundant agricultural buildings into dwelling houses. We are privileged to have significant and large areas of AONB, National Park and much loved unprotected countryside in Sussex. In order to preserve the character of this special countryside we believe it is necessary to retain planning controls, especially in areas of AONB.
These proposals will mean housing appearing in unsuitable locations in the countryside. And it's not just the housing but the garages, sheds, lighting and fences that will come with them that will destroy the character of these special rural areas.
We are also concerned that new housing will not even need to be affordable or be required to meet the housing needs of local people. Housing could be sold to the highest bidder. The present planning law permits agricultural buildings to be built in the AONB without the conventional permission process having been gone through. Hence any agricultural buildings which may benefit from this relaxation of planning control will not first have been subject to normal planning scrutiny.
Matters regarding siting, access, visibility, the amenity of neighbouring dwellings, will never be able to have been discussed. We believe that the government needs to consider particularly carefully the impact, and permanent damage to the countryside which will result from the proposal to allow these changes without an exception for AONB or Article 5(1) land.
The wording of the consultation document says (para 8) that the amenity of others must be respected. This proposal does not do that, quite the reverse.
We urge the Government to abandon these proposals and live up to its claims that it wants local people to have a say about development in their area.
Yours sincerely,
Georgia Wrighton
Director, CPRE Sussex
